We recently got rid of our landline, and I bet many of you have already done the same, or will soon. We live by the smartphone. It’s our “go to” directory, information, web, and application source. We use it to self serve or seek assisted service with companies big and small. Whether we make contact frequently or infrequently, we want to get our business done on this device.
From a contact center industry perspective, we’re at the “innovators” and “early adopters” stages of the mobile apps life cycle. Nascent technology poses some risks (will this product/vendor/approach make it?!), but this life cycle is going to move fast. Vendors are coming at it from many angles, offering varying degrees of functionality.
With all these options, along with the reality of diverse channel ownership in most companies, strategy and planning are more important than ever. As contact center and IT leaders, you must bring the right people together to define requirements and deliver a solution that truly optimizes the customer experience. You and your colleagues must sit squarely in the customer’s seat to optimize first contact resolution, handle time, and cross-channel customer experience.
Remember, the customer perspective is: “If I need information or help, I’ll start there, but I want the option to seamlessly cross media using my multimedia device.” You can’t just let those responsible for the “mobile app” – such as an IT team, web group, or a mobile app team – run with it. You have to tackle issues on silos of ownership and bring together IT (including web and/or mobile-focused teams), contact center, marketing, and whoever owns social media and the IVR. Self service on the mobile phone needs to align with other self service applications while accommodating the unique characteristics of each interface.
If you’re ready to think through next steps to develop a mobile strategy for your orrganization, download the full article. You’ll get some valuable pointers to help you and your colleagues launch the effort and start down the right path.